A connotation, or connotative meaning, is something implied by a word or phrase even though it might be quite separate from the literal, actual, textbook meaning of that word or phrase. Connotations are used all over the world and depend upon cultural and historical context, but they also depend upon the demographic of the user—teenagers, for example, might use connotations which are understood implicitly by their peers but which their own parents would need to have explained to them.

In this story, which is written in an informal and conversational tone, there are several examples of connotation. At the very beginning, for instance, a "plaid green two-piece" is described. We, the reader, understand that a type of bathing suit is being described here, but this isn't stated explicitly—it is only implied through the use of this common connotation.

The previous Educator gives some other examples of connotation from early in the story, pertaining to the "witch" at the checkout (who is, obviously, not literally a witch). If we keep reading, however, we can find more—for example, think about the children "chalked up on [Stokesie's] fuselage." We may understand from implication that this is a reference to the wartime practice by aviators of chalking up their "kills" on the fuselage of their aeroplanes; in this context it simply means, however, that Stokesie has two more children noted against his name. Stokesie is not an airman and does not have a fuselage, but we can derive a lot of information about our narrator from this connotative language: what he thinks about, who his heroes are, and what the world around him uses as a frame of reference.